by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2018

• Unofficial Royalty: Russian Titles and Patronymics

The sister of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of All Russia, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia was born at Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on April 6, 1875. She was the elder of the two daughters and the fourth of the six children of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and Dagmar of Denmark (Empress Maria Feodorovna).

Xenia’s mother was the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, and among her maternal first cousins were King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark, and King Haakon VII of Norway.

Xenia was christened in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on April 17, 1875. As per tradition, her parents did not attend the christening. Xenia’s godparents were her paternal grandmother Empress Maria Alexandrovna (born Marie of Hesse and by Rhine), her maternal grandfather King Christian IX of Denmark, her paternal uncle Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, and her maternal aunt Princess Thyra of Denmark.

Xenia had five siblings:

• Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia (1868 – 1918), married Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine (Alexandra Feodorovna), had five children, executed with his family on July 18, 1918
• Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich (1869 – 1870), died young of meningitis
• Grand Duke George Alexandrovich (1871 – 1899), unmarried, died of tuberculosis
• Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich (1878 – 1918), married Natalia Sergeyevna Sheremetyevskaya, Countess Brasova, had one child, executed on June 13, 1918
• Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna (1882 – 1960), married (1) Peter Friedrich Georg, Duke of Oldenburg, no children; (2) Nikolai Kulikovsky, had two children

Like her other siblings, Xenia was raised in a relatively simple manner considering her status. She slept in a cot, woke up at 6:00 AM, took cold baths, ate simple, plain meals, and her rooms were furnished with simple furniture. As the elder daughter, Xenia became her mother’s constant companion, and she often received gifts from her maternal Aunt Alix (Alexandra of Denmark) who had married the eldest son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Aunt Alix took a special interest in Xenia because she shared a birthday with her aunt’s last child Prince Alexander John of Wales who was born on April 6, 1871, and died within twenty-four hours. The Imperial children had a large extended family and often visited the families of their British, Danish, and Greek cousins.

In 1881, Xenia’s paternal grandfather Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia was assassinated when a bomb was thrown at his carriage as he rode through St. Petersburg, and Xenia’s father became Emperor. Concerned about the security of his family, Alexander III moved his family to Gatchina Palace located 28 miles (45 km) south of St. Petersburg. Gatchina Palace became the family’s prime residence.

Like the rest of her siblings, Xenia was educated by private tutors and learned English, French, and German but unlike her elder brothers, she never learned Danish, her mother’s native language. She had a talent for drawing and also learned gymnastics, dancing, and how to play the piano. Like many royal children, Xenia wrote in a diary every day. Nicholas and George’s English tutor was a favorite with the Imperial children. He taught them how to fish and play games.

The children’s parents believed that their children should spend their spare time in a useful manner and they learned cooking, woodworking, and how to make puppets for their puppet theater. Alexander III believed that his children should learn about the outdoors and they were taught to ride,  garden, and keep animals that they had to look after themselves.

When Xenia was about a year old, she was out for a walk with her nurse at Livadia Palace, the Imperial Family’s summer retreat in the Crimea. A young boy introduced himself as Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich. This was the first meeting between Xenia and her future husband. Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, known as Sandro, was the fourth of the six sons and the fifth of the seven children of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia and Princess Cecilie of Baden (Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna). Grand Duke Michael Nikolayevich was the youngest son of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia.

Sandro was born in 1866 and was nine years older than Xenia. He was the first cousin of Xenia’s father and so he was Xenia’s first cousin once removed. Sandro had grown up in Tbilisi (now the capital of the country of Georgia) in the Caucasus and his father was the Governor-General of Caucasia. When his father returned to St. Petersburg in 1882, Sandro and his siblings became playmates of the Imperial children.

By 1889, 23-year-old Sandro had noticed that 14-year-old Xenia was growing up and a romance began. At small private balls, Sandro only danced with Xenia. Sandro discussed with his brothers whether Emperor Alexander III would permit him to marry his daughter. The Emperor and the Empress noticed that Xenia and Sandro spent much time together but they considered Xenia too young to marry and Sandro too restless to settle down.

In 1892, it was obvious that Xenia and Sandro were in love. After serving a period with the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Navy, Sandro returned to St. Petersburg. Xenia was now 18-years-old and Sandro thought it was time to speak with Emperor Alexander III about marrying his daughter. The Emperor had no objections to the marriage but his wife still thought Xenia was too young to marry. Sandro was advised to bring up the matter in a year.

On January 12, 1894, Sandro’s father Duke Michael Nikolaevich had lunch with his nephew Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna. During the lunch, Grand Duke Michael asked for Xenia’s hand in marriage on behalf of his son. Although the Emperor and Empress were taken by surprise, they both consented to the marriage. Xenia and Michael finally were married on August 6, 1894, in the Saints Peter and Paul Chapel of the Peterhof Palace near St. Petersburg.

Xenia and Sandro had one daughter and six sons. They are the ancestors of most of the current Romanov descendants. The children of Xenia and Sandro were styled His/Her Highness Prince/Princess of Russia. They were the grandchildren of Emperor Alexander III through their mother but only the great-grandchildren of Emperor Nicholas I through their father. Only the children and the grandchildren of an Emperor in the male line were styled His/Her Imperial Highness Grand Duke/ Grand Duchess of Russia. Great-grandchildren of an Emperor in the male line were styled His/Her Highness Prince/Princess of Russia. After the Russian Revolution members of the Imperial Family tended to drop the territorial designation “of Russia” and use the princely title with the surname Romanov.

• Princess Irina Alexandrovna of Russia (1895 – 1970), married Prince Felix Yusupov, one of the conspirators in Rasputin’s murder, had one daughter
• Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia (1897 – 1981), married (1) Donna Elisabeth Ruffo-Sasso, had four children (2) Nadine McDougall, had one daughter
• Prince Feodor Alexandrovich of Russia (1898 – 1968), married Princess Irina Pavlovna Paley, daughter of Xenia’s paternal uncle Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia and his morganatic wife Princess Olga Paley, had one son, divorced
• Prince Nikita Alexandrovich of Russia (1900 – 1974), married Countess Maria Vorontsova-Dashkova, had two sons
• Prince Dmitri Alexandrovich of Russia (1901 – 1980), married (1) Countess Marina Sergeyevna Golenischeva-Kutuzova, had one daughter, divorced (2) Margaret Sheila MacKellar, no children
• Prince Rostislav Alexandrovich of Russia (1902 – 1978), married (1) Princess Alexandra Pavlovna Galitzine, had one son, divorced (2) Alice Eilken, had one son, divorced (3) Hedwig von Chappuis, no children
• Prince Vasili Alexandrovich of Russia (1907 – 1989), married Princess Natalia Golitsyna, had one daughter

Emperor Alexander III had offered Xenia and Sandro the Michaelovsky Palace in St. Petersburg as their home but Xenia thought it was too large. Instead, the Emperor purchased the home of Countess Vorontzov on the Moika Embankment and had it redecorated. Xenia, Sandro, and their children also spent much time at their villa in Biarritz, France. In 1907, in Biarritz, Sandro began an affair. Eventually, Xenia also had an affair with a man believed to be the husband of Sandro’s lover. All this led to a breakdown in their marriage but Xenia and Sandro decided not to divorce. Sometimes they lived together and sometimes they lived apart. It was common knowledge that Xenia and Sandro were living separate lives. Like the other Romanov women, Xenia actively participated in charity work. In 1911, Xenia founded her own charity, the Xenia Association for the Welfare of Children of Workers and Airmen.

In the fall of 1916, Xenia and other members of the Romanov family were increasingly worried about Grigori Rasputin’s influence on Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna. After working with many physicians to help her son Tsarevich Alexei relieve his hemophilia, Alexandra turned to mystics and faith healers. This led to her close, and disastrous, relationship with Grigori Rasputin. Several times Rasputin appeared to have brought the Tsarevich back from the brink of death, which further cemented Alexandra’s reliance. To many historians and experts, this relationship would contribute greatly to the fall of the Russian monarchy. On December 30, 1916, Rasputin was murdered and Xenia’s son-in-law Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov who had married her only daughter Princess Irina was one of the conspirators. Felix was exiled to his estate in Rakitnoje, near Belgorod, Russia and the Ukraine border. For more information see Unofficial Royalty: Murder of Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin.

The February Revolution was the first of two revolutions that took place in Russia in 1917. The February Revolution was caused by military defeats during World War I, economic issues, and scandals surrounding the monarchy. The immediate result was the abdication of Xenia’s brother Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire. Later in 1917, the October Revolution occurred, paving the way for the establishment of the Soviet Union.

After his abdication, Nicholas II and his family were held in protective custody. Xenia tried to see him but was refused permission. On April 6, 1917, her 42nd birthday, Xenia left St. Petersburg for Ai-Todor, her husband’s estate in the Crimea. When Xenia arrived at Ai-Todor, Sandro was already there with Xenia’s mother Empress Maria Feodorovna and her sister Olga. Many other Romanovs also gathered at their palaces in the Crimea. There they witnessed the October Revolution later that year, and then in 1918 came the news of the murder of Nicholas II and his family and servants. Xenia’s younger brother Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich had been murdered along with his secretary the month before Nicholas’ murder. Being in the Crimea became precarious due to food shortages, visits to the home by the Bolshevik officials, and the threat of being murdered by the Bolsheviks.

It became clear that the Bolsheviks would take over all of Russia. Around Europe, there was concern for the safety of the members of the Romanov family. In the first week of April 1919, the British battleship, HMS Marlborough arrived in the Crimea. Captain Charles Johnson stressed the seriousness of the situation to Empress Maria Feodorovna and showed her orders to evacuate the family that evening. He showed the Empress an offer of asylum from her nephew King George V of the United Kingdom and a letter from her sister Queen Alexandra begging her to leave now. On April 11, 1919, Empress Maria Feodorovna, her daughter Xenia, Xenia’s five youngest sons along with Xenia’s daughter Irina and her husband Prince Felix Yusupov left Russia forever. They traveled first to Malta and then on to England.

Empress Maria Feodorovna stayed a while in England but then went to her native Denmark where she lived for the rest of her life. Xenia’s daughter and her husband Prince Felix Yusupov settled in France. Xenia’s sister Olga and her family settled for a while in Denmark but then emigrated to Canada. Xenia’s husband Sandro left the Crimea with his oldest son Andrei and Andrei’s wife. Sandro lived out his life in France.

Xenia stayed in England where she was granted management letters for the properties of her brother Nicholas in England which gave her an income of 500 pounds sterling per year. However by 1925, Xenia’s financial situation was desperate and her first cousin King George V allowed her the use of Frogmore Cottage, a grace and favor house, in Windsor Great Park.

Xenia visited her mother often at Hvidøre, the holiday villa near Copenhagen, Denmark she had purchased with her sister Alexandra in 1906. When Xenia’s mother died in 1928, the villa and the empress’ jewelry were sold and the proceeds provided Xenia and her sister Olga with much-needed income.

Sandro died on February 26, 1933, at Villa St Thérèse in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, in the south of France. Xenia and her sons attended his funeral on March 1, 1933, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin where he was buried at the Cimetière de Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.

In March 1937, King George VI, Xenia’s first cousin once removed, granted her the use of Wilderness House, a grace and favor house, on the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. The dining room at Wilderness House was converted into a Russian Orthodox chapel for Xenia’s use. Xenia died at Wilderness House on April 20, 1960, at the age of 85. As per her wishes, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna was buried next to her husband Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich at the Cimetière de Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in France. Her only surviving sibling Olga died in November of that same year in Toronto, Canada.

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Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Xenia_Alexandrovna_of_Russia [Accessed 13 Mar. 2018].
• Hall, C. (2006). Little Mother of Russia. Teaneck, N.J.: Holmes & Meier.
• Perry, J. and Pleshakov, C. (1999). The Flight of the Romanovs. New York: Basic Books.
• Ru.wikipedia.org. (2018). Ксения Александровна. [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0 [Accessed 13 Mar. 2018].
• Van Der Kiste, J. and Hall, C. (2001). Once a Grand Duchess: Xenia, Sister of Nicholas II. London: Sutton Publishing.